Time for Scots to clean up their act

Sir, – Watching all the TV nature programmes about the beauty of the UK, especially Scotland, it humbles me time and time again.

We have such beauty on our doorstep, we truly are blessed.

Scotland as a whole has so much to offer tourists. So why don’t we take more care of this beauty?

What strikes me, time and time again, is all the dirt and plastic muck along the Fife roads.

Drive from Glenrothes to Kirkcaldy, along the whole stretch there is not one single yard without a plastic bottle or a bag, tarpaulin or plastic packaging from fastfood, thrown out of a car.

Drive along the country roads in Fife and everywhere one sees debris left behind after collisions.

Drive to Perth, along the A90 there’s filth everywhere.

We want tourists to come to enjoy our unique country.

Tourists bring work and money but, at this moment, tourists are staying away because of the appalling state the country is in.

We have a duty towards the generations that come after us to leave the country in a good condition.

We’re far, far away from this.

When do we – kids, teenagers or adults – start to realise that we have to take care of our country?

When do we start to clean up our act and start maintaining the beauty of our surroundings?

If we want to boost the Scottish economy and employment, we have to get in tourists, and tourists only come when the country is clean.

Our politicians can go for an easy solution by banning plastic straws in Holyrood – when do we all go for the better solution of cleaning up our magnificent and unique countryside? Maaike Cook. 74 Cash Feus, Strathmiglo.